Album review: 'Endgame' is Megadeth's best album in nearly two decades

It's an all-too-easy comparison, but it must be said: "Endgame" trounces "Death Magnetic" on all fronts -- vitality, relevance, passion, songwriting and, yes, The Almighty Riff.

After 1992's "Countdown to Extinction," Megadeth went through a period of musical dilution before returning to its thrash roots (somewhat) in 2004 with "The System Has Failed."

"Endgame," however, officially marks the resurgence of the classic Dave Mustaine snarl, that nasally yowl drenched in aggression, sarcasm and, uh, aggressive sarcasm. And it's backed by the most vicious riffs Mustaine has constructed since, yes, "Rust in Peace."

It's with utmost caution that I invoke that title. But "Endgame" provides enough evidence to be mentioned in the same breath as Megadeth classics: The album opens with "Dialectic Chaos," a violent windstorm of an instrumental, with Mustaine and new axeman-shredder Chris Broderick trading a flurry guitar solos. It merges with "This Day We Fight!", a visceral call-to-arms where Mustaine's clenched-teeth inhalation prompts a proper thrashing: "For this I was chosen, because I fear nothing," he growls, before unleashing an assaultive cavalcade of battle-worthy lyrical imagery. War never gets old as a metaphor in metal.

"1,320" is a need-for-speed, over-the-top '80s throwback cut, cheeky and cliched, but killer; its buzzing, uptempo sibling is "Head Crusher," with its barrage of double-bass:

Less fantastical is "Bite the Hand," a relentless, topical diatribe inspired by government-bailout culture, and rife with Mustaine's vehement, nasty turns-of-phrase. He growls about "an FDIC assisted suicide" before emphatically skewering capitalism with a single phrase: "when it's dog eat dog, you are what you eat." The title track, a driving, midtempo epic, marries fantasy with horrible reality, Mustaine devising a world where governments wrangle and brand individuals in an act of control. Not the most original concept, for sure, but backed by a collection of such molten riffs, it's relentlessly convincing.

Some more melodic excursions -- "Bodies," "44 Minutes," the excellent "How the Story Ends" -- fill the gaps between the heavier tracks. Most dynamic is "The Hardest Part of Letting Go.../Sealed with a Kiss," a brokenhearted revenge-fantasy and classic power ballad with a delicate acoustic intro and outro sandwiching a galloping riff; Mustaine voice even cracks with the weight of emotion not heard since "In My Darkest Hour."

There's a level of articulation in Mustaine's "Endgame" work that puts him above his genre peers in 2009 (we'll see later this year if Slayer's "World Painted Blood" can match it). Megadeth has been a rebuilding project for too long, and a revolving door of musicians that seems to have settled down and found a lockstep groove. "Endgame" is an undeniable affirmation of the Megadeth aesthetic, now standing tall, as imposing as ever.